What Is Crucifixion?

Instead of the usual post, those of the next few days will be a compilation of information regarding the events of Easter week that have been collected from the research of others as well as directly from the Bible. May you, dear reader, use these sobering accounts to ponder more fully the totality of the sacrifice our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made for you.

April 17 Holy Thursday

What is crucifixion?

The general answer to that question is as follows:

Crucifixion provided a death that was particularly painful (hence the term excruciating , literally "out of crucifying"), gruesome (hence dissuading against the crimes punishable by it) and public (hence the metaphorical expression "to nail to the cross"), using whatever means were most expedient for that goal. Crucifixion methods varied considerably with location and time period.

The Greek and Latin words corresponding to "crucifixion" applied to many different forms of painful execution, from impaling on a stake to affixing to a tree, to an upright pole (what some call a crux simplex ) or to a combination of an upright and a crossbeam

If a crossbeam was used, the condemned man was forced to carry it on his shoulders, which could have been torn open by flagellation, to the place of execution. A whole cross would weigh well over 300 pounds (135 kilograms), but the crossbeam would weigh only 75-125 pounds (35-60 kilograms).

The Roman historian Tacitus records that the city of Rome had a specific place for carrying out executions, situated outside the Esquiline Gate, and had a specific area reserved for the execution of slaves by crucifixion. Upright posts would presumably be fixed permanently in that place, and the crossbeam, with the condemned man perhaps already nailed to it, would then be attached to the post.

The person executed may sometimes have been attached to the cross by ropes, but nails are mentioned in a passage of Josephus, where he states that, at the Siege of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), "the soldiers out of rage and hatred, nailed those they caught, one after one way, and another after another, to the crosses, by way of jest", and in . Objects, such as nails, used in the execution of criminals were sought as amulets.

Frequently, the legs of the person executed were broken or shattered with an iron club, an act called crurifragium which was also frequently applied without crucifixion to slaves. This act hastened the death of the person but was also meant to deter those who observed the crucifixion from committing offenses.

In popular depictions of crucifixion, possibly derived from a literal reading of the translated description in the Gospel of John, of Jesus' wounds being 'in the hands', the condemned is shown with nails in their hands. Although historical documents refer to the nails being in the "hands", the word usually translated as "hand", in Greek, referred to arm and hand together, so that, words are added to denote the hand as distinct from the arm.

A possibility that does not require tying is that the nails were inserted just above the wrist, between the two bones of the forearm. The nails could also be driven through the wrist, in a space between four carpal bones. The Gospel word translated as "hand", can include everything below the mid-forearm.

A foot-rest attached to the cross, perhaps for the purpose of taking the man's weight off the wrists, is sometimes included in representations of the crucifixion of Jesus, but is not mentioned in ancient sources. These, however, do mention a small seat attached to the front of the cross, about halfway down, which could have served that purpose.

The length of time required to reach death could range from a matter of hours to a number of days, depending on exact methods, the health of the crucified person and environmental circumstances.

Death could result from a variety of causes, including blood loss and hypovolemic shock, or infection and sepsis, caused by the scourging that preceded the crucifixion or by the nailing itself, and eventual dehydration. One theory holds that, when the whole body weight was supported by the stretched arms, the typical cause of death was asphyxiation because the condemned would have severe difficulty inhaling, due to hyper-expansion of the chest muscles and lungs.

The condemned would therefore have to draw himself up by his arms, leading to exhaustion, or have his feet supported by tying or by a wood block. Indeed, Roman executioners could be asked to break the condemned' person’s legs, after he had hung for some time, in order to hasten his death. Once deprived of support and unable to lift himself, the condemned would die within a few minutes.